Sister Louista Eckroth

Sister Louista Eckroth, 89, a founder of the Benedictine Sisters of Annunciation Monastery, Bismarck, entered eternal life Monday, June 16, 2008 at a Bismarck care center. Mass of Christian burial will be held at 4:30 p.m. Friday, June 20 in the Chapel of Annunciation Monastery. Visitation starts today at 3 p.m. at the monastery and continues until the time of the funeral. A wake is scheduled for 7 p.m. Thursday, June 19 in the monastery chapel. Sister Louista birth name Eleanor was born Feb. 12, 1919, in Mandan, N.D. She was the fifth of 14 children of Louis and Eda Gruenfelder Eckroth. Growing up, she always had the desire to be a sister and on Dec. 8, 1939, entered St. Benedict’s Monastery, St. Joseph, Minn. and made monastic profession July 11, 1941. In 1944 she volunteered to help establish Annunciation Monastery because she saw the great need for sisters in western North Dakota. She taught elementary grades for 32 years in Catholic schools in Dickinson, Mandan, and Mott. She also served as librarian for some of those years. Creative and enthusiastic, she made learning an exciting adventure for her students. She exhibited joy and pride in their accomplishments and they knew she loved them. After retiring from teaching, she spent eight years as a parish visitor at St. Joseph’s Parish in Mandan. She visited the sick and lonely, took communion to them, assisted with funerals and did what she could to brighten people’s lives. “I loved the people and my ministry there,” she once said. Then she served four years in the medical library at St. Alexius Medical Center before returning to the monastery. Here she used her creative abilities by making greeting cards for the monastery’s gift shop. An extremely kind and gentle woman, Sister Louista loved God and the Scriptures. When she proclaimed the Word of God, her listeners knew that Word was coming from her heart. She enjoyed the outdoors and everyday walked and reflected on God’s natural beauty. Sister Louista loved her monastic community and her family. She also shared a special bond with her two priest brothers and her older sister who also was a Benedictine. She is survived by five brothers, Father Leonard, Strasburg, N.D.; Father Richard, Collegeville, Minn.; Edward, Portland. Ore.; Anthony Joan Fort Rice, N.D.; Charles Evelyn St. Cloud, Minn.; two sisters, Louise Brounty, Port Townsend, Wash.; Marie Wayne Louthan, LaGrande, Ore., and the Sisters of Annunciation Monastery. Memorials may be made to Annunciation Monastery.

Sister Louista Eckroth

February 12, 1919 - June 16, 2008